What's Lower Than Underdog?
by Chef Fanfictious
Summary: The story of a lazy eighteen year-old trainer, leaving the town of Nuvema for the first time. He takes on a challenge and grudgingly goes through many hardships, annoyances, and empty wallets on his adventure through Unova. Will he complete the bet and win? Or have to become Juniper's lab assistant for the rest of his life...with no pay? Nuzlocke gameplay rules.
1. Ty's Bet

Let me tell you a story. This is about a boy, a boy who wanted more than just the usual routine. He has always been arrogant, never doing what others do and taking his own route.

…..pfft, nah. This is the story of a lazy good for nothing who can't help but take a bet. No life lesson, no morals, all for some money. Meet Ty, and this is his bet.

Nuvema Town, 11:34am Spring

"…..Ty…..up, Ty…."

Ty moved around under the comforter of his bed, covered head to toe to protect himself from the sunlight cascading inside of his room. Why the hell were his shades open anyway? And that voice, damn that voice was annoying.

"Ty! Wake up you lazy excuse of a son!"

Groaning, he peeked out from his blanket. There stood his mom, furious. Her foot tapped on the wood floor and her hands were on her hips that signaled she was seriously impatient. "You were supposed to be awake three hours ago, you damn idiot. Now get out of bed and get dressed."

A groan was his response as he slipped out of bed after his mother left the room. Dragging his feet across the floor, Ty made his way to his closet, wearing nothing but a pair of plaid boxers. Slipping into some jeans and a slightly baggy shirt that said "I don't give a Sawk," of course with a picture of a Sawk underneath it, the boy groggily made his way downstairs.

"Oh thank god, Sleeping Beauty is awake." Anna Lee, his mother, sat at the table. A cigarette was smoldering in an ashtray as she held her glass of whiskey on rocks in her left hand. "I was afraid you'd be a useless bum for all of your life."

"Shaddup ya hag." Rubbing his eyes, he opened the pantry and pulled out the bread. "Not like ya raised me to be the perfect son." Which was only slightly true. Ty popped the bread into the toaster, rummaging in the fridge for some condiments. Today was the day he finally was able to get his first Pokemon. Of course, this was odd for him. Why? Because a beginning Trainer starts out when they turn ten years old.

Ty is eighteen.

"Well 'scuse me. While your father was out looking for some hoochie I had to take care of your sorry ass. And I hope those devils in hell are poking at his soul the way he poked all those women." Oh boy, great mental image there. Ty slathered Oran berry jam on his toast and took a bite. Yeah, his father never left. He just went out and slept with any woman that would sleep with him. At least he went out with enough under his belt before the heart attack. But what would you expect when you eat nothing but fast food since your smoker wife cooks bland food?

" 'ey, I don't blame Dad. If I was him I'd be sleeping with other women too." He snickered and grabbed the second piece of toast, walking towards the front door to slip on an old pair of running shoes he's had for nearly three years. "Well, best not ruin your celebration. Just don't drown yourself in booze, bitch."

"I'll make sure to sell all your shit, bastard."

Ty shut the door behind him and stretched, the air fresh with the scent of blooming flowers and fresh starts for the future…pfft, yeah. That last part was corny. Chewing on his toast, the soon-to-be Trainer made his way to the lab to get started with this whole ordeal.


	2. Good Luck

Nuvema Town, Juniper's Lab, 12:11pm. Spring.

"What the hell do you mean you're out of starters?!" Ty rubbed his forehead, unbelieving of what he was being told. Professor Juniper just shrugged, sitting on the edge of her desk.

"Look, I told you to be here at eight this morning. Do you know why? So you could pick up your Pokemon. You were three hours late, so I gave the last one away." She stood up, walking to the opposite wall. "But look, I'm gonna give you some advice. Forget about the whole Trainer thing, get a job, and live your boring life anoth-"

"Oh, hell no. I am not leaving here to get a damn job. This Trainer thing is easy money, so give me a Pokemon or I'll stay here the entire time." Juniper sighed, then perked up. She tapped her lip as she walked back to the desk where a set of empty Pokeballs lay.

"….well, I guess you could…nah, you wouldn't be able to."

"Do what?"

Juniper kept facing the wall, smirking so Ty couldn't see. "Well, I guess you could try something. A bet." He was interested, and she could feel it. "All right. There's this guy that's made some news around the world, someone named Ruby. He's even starting up here in Unova. But I don't think you could do it…"

"Oh come on, this guy sounds like a loser. What's the bet?" Ty crossed his arms over his chest, hoping that she can make this worth his while.

"I can see you're up for it, so here's the challenge. Since I don't have any starters, you're gonna have to catch your first Pokemon. So good luck with that. You can get it on Route 1. Now, after that, you must care for that Pokemon and whatever else you catch. It will die if you don't be careful."

Ty arched an eyebrow. This was sounding challenging. "And the second part? Let me guess, I have to hop on one foot?"

"No, you have to catch the first Pokemon you run into in every place. I don't care if you hate it, if it is the first one you find you're stuck with it." Juniper tossed him a pack of Pokeballs, the boy fumbling as he caught them so they wouldn't drop. "If you're able to get past all eight gyms and clear the Pokemon League, I will personally pay you ten thousand pokeyen."

Ty's jaw dropped. Ten thousand? For something that sounded so easy? Hell yeah he'll do it. "You got yourself a deal, Professor." He grinned and shook hands with her. She smiled as well, but for a much better reason.

"Oh, by the way. If you lose the bet, you have to be my lab assistant for ten years. Working for free." Oh, she was evil. Pure evil. But that didn't stop Ty at all. He accepted and took the balls, leaving the lab and making his way to Route 1.

….god damn this place is lame. For his first time leaving Nuvema, Ty was expecting more…..excitement. But all that was in front of him was grass and a few people. What the hell. Shrugging, he kept walking, seeing what his first Pokemon was going to be. After an hour of walking, the Trainer decided to give up and lay under a tree. He did a quick inventory of his personal belongings, seeing how screwed he was going to be. Three thousand pokeyen taken from his mom's liquor stash, a few outfits from his closet, five Pokeballs from Juniper, food he grabbed from the kitchen, and a Potion from some creep hiding in the grass. Probably hands them to the new kids to get close, cuz he was rather upset after seeing how old Ty was.

As the sun was slowly crossing the sky, he began to slowly fall asleep. At about two, he woke up to a noise. Looking over, he saw something moving around in his bag. "Oh hell no, get out of there! And don't touch my food!" Snatching the bag up, he shook the thief out. Low and behold, a Patrat fell out. "…..you've got to be kidding me. You couldn't be a Lillipup?" The scrawny looking rodent, probably a runt, stood up and growled at Ty. Rolling his eyes at the failed attempt of intimidation, the Trainer couldn't believe his crappy luck. Of all the Pokemon…

"Well, guess you're it." Reaching into his bag, Ty pulled out a Pokeball and pressed the center button, making the tiny marble expand into the larger known device. He tossed it at the Patrat, watching it hit the rodent in the head and suck it up in a red light. One shake, two shake….three…..


	3. To Striaton

Accumula Town, 6:00pm

"God damn that took for freakin' ever."

Ty carried Scrawn, the runt of a Patrat, to the Pokemon center. For the last four hours after he caught him, the two had spent all that time grinding and healing. This little thing turned out to be pretty hardy, and they had good luck with it's Run Away ability at dire situations. Overall, it is now just a little less pathetic.

"All right, Scrawn. Listen up. We gotta work hard and make it through all of the gyms. In order to do that, I need better Pokemon than you. Cuz you are pretty sucky." The Patrat was too busy eating a Pecha sandwich to listen or pay attention. "So with that said, as soon as we hit Route 2, I'm hoping that I get a Lillipup."

Two hours later.

Panting, and with a full Pokeball on the ground, both Ty and Scrawn were tired from the search. It took them this long to find another Pokemon? At least he got a Lillipup, thank god it wasn't a retarded Purrloin. Damn those things were useless.

"Okay, naming you…..Meg." Yeah, he wasn't good at naming stuff. All his action figures and toys had the same fate. Mister One Nose, The Box (who wasn't even a box), Mustache wearing Man, etc. So he just came up with names the same way, whatever he wanted. For Scrawn it was a bit easier, since he was so pathetic looking and really…..scrawny.

Yawning, Ty decided to call it a night. The three of them camped under a large tree, the trainer deciding to take inventory. Food was half gone, he lost an outfit, and they had a limited amount of money. Great. "Looks like I better battle to keep us fed, guys." He looked up while putting his wallet away, seeing the two napping near the fire. Ty sighed and tilted his head back, looking at the sky. Why was he doing this again? Oh yeah, money and bragging rights. More the former than the latter honestly.

Eleven hours of sleeping…

"Meh…..turn off the light…." Ty covered his face with his backpack as the sun was rising, ruining his beauty sleep. Meg and Scrawn have been awake for about an hour, distracting themselves with foraging and playing. Giving up, he finally sat up, shaggy brown hair a mess and clothes spotted with dirt, grass stains, and a few leaves. "Damn…that sun is bright…" He yawned and stretched, pulling out breakfast and handing out his Pokemons' servings. They ate while he looked out at Route 2.

"Well, at least the view is good."

A change of clothes and a morning piss later, the three headed off to continue to Striaton, their first gym battle. Oh boy. Actual work. Well, it's probably nothing compared to leveling up this damn Patrat. Thing is freakin' soft as hell. He tackled the hell out of a few trainers with Meg, grinded with Patrat against various Purrloins, then made his first step into the city. It was way better than Nuvema, and a bit nicer than Accumula. The scent of food and tea wafted on the air, making his stomach growl. It's been hours since breakfast, and he was hungry now.

Making his way to a nearby food stop, a lady came out of nowhere and rammed into Ty. The two of them flailed in the air as they landed on the ground, the female sprawled on top of him. Groaning, Ty gave her a look. "…..not that I don't like this position, but mind getting up? There's a rock poking my ass, and I don't swing that way."

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry!" The girl stood up, bowing to him in apology. Her short red hair bobbed up and down as she dipped and lifted herself up, dressed in a baby blue blouse with a light green checkered skirt. All in all cute, but not his type. "I'm really really sorry, so here take this!" She shoved a poke ball into his hands and ran off, leaving Ty standing there confused as hell and blinking.

"….city people are weird…."

At the noodle stand, Ty looked the poke ball over. What the hell was that all about anyway? "Well, only one way to check." He pushed the release on the ball and a red light zapped out, revealing a Pansage. It smiled at him, just….smiling.

"…so, I was given a free Pokemon….eh." Juniper did say the first Pokemon, and so this technically counted. "Guess I'll call you Dee." Oh yeah, he sucked at this naming thing. Now with less money, since he had to feed one more mouth, it was time to take care of this gym.

Taking a breath, Ty pushed the doors open, ready for that first step of the real challenge.


	4. Poke Neapolitan

Striaton Gym, 12: 22pm

"….uh, do I have the wrong building?"

Ty was looking at a restaurant, definitely not a gym. Tables with customers, waiters and waitresses, a kitchen in the back with three cooks, delicious looking food and hot tea served. He stood there for a minute, then peeked outside to read the sign again. Yup, it definitely says Striaton Gym. Stepping back in, he sighed. City people ARE weird.

"Hello! Hello! You must be a trainer!" Ty jumped at the sudden voice next to him, looking over to see who had such a loud voice. An older man with gray hair stood there smiling, eyes invisible behind a pair of dark sunglasses. Why was he wearing sunglasses inside?

"Um, yeah? I'm here to cha-"

"You must be here to challenge the gym leader!"

He blinked. "Yeah, I was just about to….never mind. So, where is the leader? And why is this a restaurant?"

The man pushed his shades up his nose, smirking. "Ah, you see, the gym leader is a cook. He converted his gym so he could combine his passion for Pokemon and cooking."

Well, gotta like a guy with passion. "Okay, so, um…"

"Name's Clyde, by the way. In case you were wondering." Okay, so now the creepy guy got a name. "In order to get to the leader, you gotta…..order."

"…..order?"

"Yup, just take a seat and make yourself comfortable. The Poke Neapolitan is my suggestion." Ty couldn't tell if he was winking or not, since those shades made it impossible to see any trace of his eyes. Nodding to Clyde, he just made his way to a table. A waiter stopped by and handed him a menu, leaving to take care of his other tables before returning.

"Are you ready to order, sir?"

"Um…I'll have the Poke Neapolitan? That Clyde guy over there-"

Suddenly, the ground shook a little. Ty clung to his table while the other customers took no notice, as if this was a common experience. The floor began to shift, pulling apart to reveal a battle stage underneath. After they were spread far enough, the stage rose up three feet above the tables and customers. The waiter smiled, taking the menu back. "Of course, sir. Your dish will be ready in a moment."

He went back to the kitchen, leaving Ty still clinging to the table. After a few minutes, the trio of chefs came out. One had flaming red hair, grinning like a Cheshire. Another had aqua blue hair, smiling coolly. The third had grass green hair, giving a warmer, greeting smile. The green haired chef spoke first.

"Welcome to Striaton Gym! I am Cilan, the Grass user."

"I'm Cress," replied the blue haired chef, bowing slightly, "the Water user."

"And I'm Chili!" The red haired chef's grin grew, adding a small chuckle. "I use Fire."

The three of them….were leaders? Ah fuck….

"Look, I'm just here to challenge this gym and-"

Cilan held up a hand, stopping Ty. "We know, and this is the challenge. You have to battle all three of us." He smiled and pointed to the stage. "Shall we?"

Ty gulped. All three? If the other gyms are like this, he is just gonna quit this whole thing. Standing, he made his way to the stage to meet his three opponents…


	5. Easy Peasy Soup

Chili, Cilan, and Cress. Ty's opponents. Oh boy.

Chili gave out a scoff, stepping forward. "Guess I'll go first. This'll be over in a second." The fiery leader tossed out his poke ball, releasing a Pansear onto the battle stage.

Ty looked around. All the customers were eating, not even paying attention to the battle that was starting. Seriously? Does this happen like every day for these people? "Well, let's get this over with. Scrawn, you're up." The Patrat scurried out from behind Ty, taking his place on the field. The size difference between the two opposing Pokemon was a bit unfair. Chili's Pansear was strong and healthy, looking as cocky as his trainer. Scrawn was…..well, scrawny. The damn thing wasn't that tough, he could hit pretty hard though. "Let's start this off. Tackle!"

Scrawn bent his legs, then started off at a sprint towards the monkey. The move landed square in its chest, the Pansear falling back a foot. Chili laughed, and, like Trainer like Pokemon, Pansear also laughed. "Is that all you got, kid? Pansear, Scratch!" The monkey Pokemon ran at Scrawn, swiping at him with its paws.

"Dodge Scrawn!" Luckily, the Patrat was pretty fast. Thanks to his light frame, probably. Scrawn dodged a few swipes, but took one to the face. He hit the ground on his back, slightly dazed. Ty groaned, rubbing his head. "C'mon, get up!" In no time Scrawn hopped right on up, two scratch marks on its face. "Let's go for another Tackle!"

Chili scoffed as Scrawn ran towards the Pansear. "Really? Try to spice it up! Dodge, Pansear!" The monkey crouched, waiting for its opponent to get close enough. Then, it jumped up. Ty smirked.

"Bite its tail!"

Chili blinked, unable to tell the Pansear to move the appendage before the Patrat clamped it between its teeth. It let out a yelp as it was flung at the ground, landing with a loud thud. The patrons around them stopped eating to look, now interested. Pansear's eyes were swirling in spirals, completely out of it. Clyde grinned, giving Ty a thumbs up.

Ty just wondered why the hell he was giving him a thumbs up.

Clyde lifted a hand towards Ty. "Pansear is out like a blown candle, Ty wins round one!" Chili just smiled, which was pissing him off a bit. Why the hell was this guy smiling?

"Well, can't win them all I guess. Yer up, Cilan." Chili returned his Pansear to the ball and walked off the stage, high-fiving his brother Cilan like a tag team partner. The green haired leader took his brother's place.

"Well, you met the flame of our restaurant. Time to meet the veggies!" Ty blankly stared at Cilan, along with everyone else in the building. Cilan just gave a nervous laugh, then pointed at Ty in a serious manner, ignoring the awkward failure of a cool line. "I'm up next! Go, Pansage!"

Ty raised a brow. Isn't that the same kind of Pokemon that one girl gave him? Shrugging that off, he called Scrawn back and sent out Meg. The Lillipup growled intimidatingly at the Pansage, who just gave a slightly naïve smile.

"All right Pansage, Vine Whip!" The monkey swung a pair of vines that seemed to grow from its wrists. Meg hopped up, dodging the sweeping attacks.

"Leer then Tackle, Meg!" When she landed, Meg leered at the Pansage. The gaze was enough to unnerve the Pansage, making its smile quiver just a bit. As it was slightly scared, the Lillipup charged at the grass monkey and tackled it right in the stomach. It flew back a few feet and landed on its head, falling flat on its face.

They waited a few minutes for it to get back up, Cilan trying to coax it to stand with treats. Clyde shrugged and lifted a hand towards Ty. "Welp, since Pansage is wilted like old spinach, Ty wins round two."

Cilan sighed and returned Pansage to its poke ball, moping as he walked back. Cress stepped up next, the last one. He gave a cool smile, neither cocky nor unsure. "Well, guess I'm your last opponent. Let's cool this heated trainer off, Panpour."

Ty called Meg back, grinning. Oh man, he was so lucky. "A'ight, let's see what you can do Dee!" Dee hopped up, excited to battle. Cress just smiled, as if happy to see a good challenge.

"Okay, use Scratch Dee!" The Pansage leaped towards the Panpour, swiping at it.

"Water Gun." Suddenly, Dee was met with a face full of water, making her land uncomfortably on the ground just a foot away. Ty ground his teeth. This guy was better. Not aggressive, but not without tact. He was smart.

Fuck his life.

"Shake it off Dee. Use Vine Whip!" Dee shook herself and extended two vines, swinging them at Panpour. The water monkey was hit a couple times, but dodged with a few quick maneuvers.

"Use Bite!" Panpour sidestepped a vine and bit onto it. Dee yelped and retracted it back, rubbing her arm. "Now use Scratch!" Suddenly, the water pokemon was in front of Dee, giving her a hard swipe at the head. She was knocked back, hitting the ground a bit hard.

Ty clenched a fist. What was he gonna do? Then, he thought of it. "Dee, get up and use Tackle!"

Cress laughed, swiping his hair back a bit. "Oh, that combo? Panpour, dodge and get your tail out of the way." The Panpour jumped up, tucking its tail with it. Ty just grinned as Dee started to sail underneath it.

"Vine Whip!"

Cress went a bit wide eyed as Dee spun around to face Panpour's legs, sending out vines to grab its ankles. Landing on her feet, Dee swung Panpour around, up, then slammed it down onto the stage. Clyde let out a laugh and the customers cheered at the amazing display.

"Panpour is all out of juice, Ty wins!"

The trainer smirked, calling Dee back to join the rest of the group. Cress looked a bit confused, then gave a small smile. "Good job. You won." He walked to Ty and handed him the Trio badge. Ty shrugged, stuffing it in his pocket.

"I guess I'm just that good. Not like it was hard." With a turn, he gave a curt wave as he walked out of the gym-restaurant thing. Clyde gave him his winnings at the exit and waved goodbye.

"Man, this is gonna be a piece of ca-"

A black device suddenly hit Ty in the head, coming out of nowhere. He fell face first on the ground, his vision going black.

Ah fuck, just his luck….


	6. Sudden Translations

"…..wake up…..hey…..don't…..dead…."

Ty groggily opened his eyes, expecting to be in his room. But once his vision cleared up a bit, he saw that he was still in Striaton, laying on his back. A black haired lady was over him, apparently relieved that he was awake.

"Oh thank god, you're not dead. That would've been bad." She gave him room as he sat up, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm so sorry. My Translator fell off my desk next to my window, it must've hit you in the head on its way down."

"Ya think?" Ty felt the little bump. Great, that's gonna hurt for a while. "A translator for what, exactly?"

"Master? Are you all right?" He blinked, looking around for that voice. "Master, I'm down here." Ty looked down…..and then wished he didn't. Scrawn was looking at him, concerned. "Are you all right, Master?"

"….." He looked straight forward and pinched himself hard on the arm. "….okay, so I'm not dreaming….." Ty looked at the woman, confused as all hell. "So, this Translator…."

"Ah, right. Well you see I'm a scientist, my name is Fennel. I was working on Pokemon dreams for a while, but this was a side project for me." She help up the black device that hit him on the head, a bit broken from the impact with the ground. "I was thinking that I could be able to manipulate brain waves of humans to understand Pokemon. You see, it's all a matter of…."

Ty's mind wandered as she rambled on. So, this Pokemon translator thing hit him in the head, messed with his brain, and now he can understand Pokemon.

"…and so, I finally managed to get this prototype working, but I don't think it's a success. And it'll take me forever to rebuild it. Anyway, I'm sorry again and it's good to see that you're not hurt. Here, take this as an apology gift." She handed him an HM, one of a few discs that had some useful moves on it. Without another word Fennel was off back to her house, leaving Ty still confused.

"…Master?" Scrawn tugged on his sleeve, making Ty look down. "You don't look so good. Do you need food?"

"I really need a drink, but food sounds oka- Wait why am I talking to you?! I shouldn't even be able to understand you!" Ty stood up, walking towards a hotel. Paying for a room for the night, he flopped onto the bed. Scrawn was asking questions left and right, mostly about his well being. The Patrat got him water, some small snacks, even a book. After a while, Ty sat up and looked at Scrawn. "Okay, listen to me. This is a bit unsettling, considering that I can talk to you and understand what you are saying. This stuff doesn't happen all the time."

"But Master, isn't this a good thing? I mean, we can learn so much more about each other!"

Oh great, that's what he needed. A Patrat talk buddy. Ty rubbed his forehead, picking up the water. "Okay. Fine. Just, stop asking me if I'm all right. It's getting annoying." Scrawn nodded and sat on the floor, watching Ty with a smile. This was going to be fun….

-The next day-

Ty and Scrawn set out to Route 3, along with Meg and Dee. Suddenly, a patch of grass started shaking. The trainer raised an eyebrow, wondering what the heck was going on. "Um, Scrawn? What's that?"

"Oh, that's a rare Pokemon. They like to get cocky and shake the bushes sometimes."

Ty grinned. Oh boy, this was a great chance to get a better Pokemon! He dived at the shaking grass and grabbed onto…..an Audino. He blinked, she blinked, then the Audino let out a scream. Ty sighed, drooping his head. Just his luck.

Ten minutes later, Ty caught the Audino and named her Clara. Like Clarity, since it tried to spam Refresh when it had no status problems. He lifted the poke ball up. "Okay, I'm going to let you out and talk. Don't scream." Releasing Clara, the Audino blinked as she looked around. Then, turning to look at Ty, she screamed again. Ty sighed and put her back in the ball, deciding not to bother and let her calm down for a while. Meanwhile, he gave Scrawn a stern look. "Rare Pokemon, eh? My ass."

The Patrat shrugged, looking apologetic. "Sorry, Master."

The trainer level grinded Scrawn, Meg, and Dee. He left Clara in her ball, deciding to let her out tonight to calm her down.

-Later that night-

Ty let Clara out again after starting the camp fire. As expected, she was screaming louder than Pidoves when kids throw out bread. He let Meg and Scrawn talk to her, Dee out grabbing some food. After several minutes, the three came back, Clara looking nervous but definitely not screaming anymore.

"Um…h-hello, Master."

He looked at Scrawn and Meg, raising a brow. "What did you say to make her calm down?"

Scrawn just smiled. "Well, we had to tell her that you don't eat Pokemon and that you can make good food." Ty shook his head, smiling lightly.

"Well, welcome to the group, Clara." He held out his hand to her. She looked nervously at his extended hand, but she finally took it in her own paw.

This was the start of the hardest part of Ty's adventure.


	7. Setting the Bar

"Please tell me you're joking, Scrawn." Ty stared into the dark cave, really not wanting to go in there. But Scrawn just grinned, tugging on his pants leg.

"Yes I'm sure, Master. You'll get a good Pokemon in there, trust me!" Yeah, last time he listened to Scrawn they got an Audino that faints if you talk too loud. Sighing, Ty just shrugged and went in.

A few minutes walking around and bumping into rocks, he was just about to give up. "Look, Scrawn. My feet are hurtin', my legs are getting bruised from bumping into rocks. I think we should just get out of he-" Suddenly, the trainer fell flat on his face. Something round and hard tripped him. "…ow…"

"Oi, dumb ass! Watch where yer walking!"

"….I really hope that rock isn't talking to me. Now I think I'm crazy."

"Who you callin' a rock, douche bag?" The round rock that he tripped over walked up to him. Turns out that Ty tripped over a Roggenrola, and one with a rather bad attitude at that. Sitting up, he rubbed his face while glaring at the rock type.

"You, gravel brain. If you weren't sitting in the middle of the path I wouldn't have tripped on you."

"Oh, that's it." Rather quickly, the Roggenrola tackled itself into Ty's chest. He was knocked down again, ribs bruised. Thank god that was the most damage. The trainer was winded, gasping for breath as he laid there. "Like that, eh? And stay down, jerk wad."

As he was walking away, Ty sat up again, scowling. He sent Dee on him, knocking him over with a Vine Whip. The rock Pokemon's tiny feet flailed in the air, unable to get himself back up. "HEY! What's the big idea?!"

"Shut up." Ty tossed a ball at him, letting the red light suck him up. After a few shakes, the ball clinked its locking sound, indicating the Pokemon was caught. He sat up, rubbing his sore chest and picked up the ball. "Take that, granite face."

-An hour later-

Ty sat on a log, facing the group of five. He stared at them, and they stared back.

"Okay, here's the deal. I'm doing this bet. You guys need to help me win it. I have to get through all the gyms and the Pokemon League with whatever I first meet. So far, that's you five. Some of you may not make it far, others will probably make it all the way to the top. If I don't win this, I'm going to be doing free labor for the rest of my life. So, the bar has been set. Give it your all."

The five of them just blinked, then Scrawn stood up. His face had a look of determination, eyes glinting with excitement. "Yes! We can do this, Master! You can count on us!" Reggie, the Roggenrola Ty recently caught, let out a scoff.

"Oh yeah? Sounds a bit too tough for ya. As far as I can tell, you're just a pussy."

"Don't talk about Master like that! He's strong and kind and can do this!" Reggie gave another scoff, but said nothing more. It seemed that Scrawn really looked up to Ty. Meg spoke up next.

"Well, I'm with ya too, Ty. Just don't expect me to do any ridiculous stuff. I don't fetch, I don't do tricks, I don't…" Clara interrupted by raising her paw. Ty blinked, waiting for her to speak up, but apparently she was so meek she waited to be called on, even though no one was talking.

"Clara?"

She stood up, fiddling her paws. "W-well…..I'm just glad you wont eat me…"

"….uh, yeah. I guess that is a good thing…." She smiled and sat back down. "Um, Dee? You got anything you want to say?"

The Pansage shrugged, not saying anything. Ty decided to take that as a neutral response. She hasn't said much, and when she does talk it's to the others and in whispers. It kinda made him all the more curious, but he didn't push her. All he cared about was winning this bet and the ten thousand poke yen. He was definitely willing to make sacrifices if needed.

"Okay, now that we got that out of the way, let's get our second badge." Standing up, he led the group of five to Nacrene.

A few steps in, all six of their stomachs growled simultaneously.

"…okay. Dinner first, sleep, then the badge."


	8. Learning Experience

The enemy Patrat was sent flying by Reggie, smacking against a bookshelf. Ty walked past the trainer, shrugging. "You win some, you lose some, kid."

This was going to be pretty easy, as most of the trainers seemed to have just Lillipups and one Herdier. Reggie leveled up nicely, his tough rocky body being able to withstand pretty much all of their attacks. Now with all the trainers out of the way, Ty took Reggie and the rest of the group for lunch.

The six of them sat against one of the many warehouses in Nacrene, the place seemingly made up of the abandoned things. People lived in them, some opened up small shops, cafes, restaurants, etc.

"Well, if we keep this up, we'll get that badge in no time. Just use Reggie and-"

"Um, T-Ty?" He looked up. Clara stood there, fidgety as usual. "Erm, I-I'd like to try and fight…" Ty raised an eyebrow. Wow, there is a first for everything.

"Um, all right. I guess we have some time…"

-Four hours later-

Clara was panting, tired from the grinding but still healthy. Ty was amazed, actually. She was pretty tough, almost as tough as Reggie. Every hit she took didn't faze her and she hit much harder. In no time she was about Reggie's level, and he even took the time to level up the rest of the team. You never know.

Ty healed the team up and took them back to the gym, Lenora waiting for them. She was….pretty odd. He just used his 'city folk are weird' assumption and headed on to confront her.

"Welcome! This is my gym, and my Museum!" She spread her arms out, gesturing to the bookshelves of research and studies around them. The battle stage was set in the middle of the rows of shelves, like an arena almost. "I hope you learned from your battles to this point, because this is where I get to test your knowledge. Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready." Ty smirked, stepping up to his area. Lenora took her spot as well and tossed out her ball. A Herdier appeared from the light, growling. The trainer sent Reggie out, the Roggenrola rolling into place. Clyde stood at the sides, reffing the match. He lifted both his hands in the air, one pointed towards Ty and the other towards Lenora.

"The battle between Lenora and Ty shall begin. And…..FIGHT."

Instinctively the Herdier used Take Down on Reggie, Lenora not having to even issue a command. The Roggenrola was slightly caught off guard, but after the Herdier made contact he dug his tiny feet into the stage and stopped the both of them.

"Headbutt!" Reggie reared himself back before slamming his face into the Herdier's, sending it rolling across the stage. It caught itself and landed on its feet, shaking slightly from the attack. Taking advantage of this flinch, Reggie used Rock Blast. He jumped up in the air and hit the ground, causing rocks to burst from the ground and hit the Normal type. It bounced between the barrage, landing on its side this time. Lenora's expression grew a bit serious at the condition her Herdier was in.

"Work Up!" The Herdier stood up onto its legs, its body glowing a slight red. "Take Down!" The dog charged at Reggie with more ferocity than before, slamming into him. Reggie rolled back a bit farther than before, the attack having a bit more oomph in it than before.

Ty grimaced and called Reggie back, telling Meg to go out. But Clara tugged on Ty's sleeve, her face determined. "I-I can do it! Send me out!" He really didn't want to, but he guessed it was a better choice. So Clara took her spot on stage, ready to fight. Ty sprayed a Super Potion on Reggie, then the Herdier went for another Take Down.

Clara's brow furrowed as she widened her stance, as if she was really going to catch the opponent. She couldn't, could she? As soon as it came into contact, Clara grabbed onto it. The two slid back a couple feet, but she then forced both of them to a stop. "Pound!" Raising her paw, she brought it down with quite a bit of force upon the Herdier's head. The Pokemon stepped back from the blow, swaying back and forth. Then, it fell to the ground, completely knocked out.

"Round one goes to Ty!"

Clara turned to face Ty, who's jaw was hanging. She smiled and walked back.

"Oh, this isn't over yet. Go Watchog!"

Holy crap, it was a taller Scrawn. The meerkat pokemon stood tall, its eyes intimidating even to Ty. He sent Reggie back out, fully healed.

"All right, use Mud Slap!" Reggie spat out mud from inside its center ear, hitting the Watchog in the face. It was slightly blinded, but it still managed to land a Bite on Reggie.

"Hypnosis!" The Watchog blinked as much mud out of its eyes as it could before staring at Reggie. Ty laughed, shaking his head.

"Roggenrola's don't have eyes."

Lenora's eyes widened as Reggie just jumped up, using Rock Blast. The Watchog was caught unaware, being smacked back and forth between the rocks. In the middle of the barrage, Reggie leaped at the opponent and smacked its body into it in a Headbutt attack. It flew back a foot, landing on the ground. Its once intimidating eyes were now dazed, laying still on the ground.

"Watchog is knocked out, Ty wins!"

Ty grinned, accepting his badge and prize money from Clyde. Lenora sighed, then just shrugged. "Well, you did good kid. Learn from your experiences. Trust me, I did, and look at me. You'll go far."

He gave her a curt wave. "Yeah yeah, whatever."

-Later that night-

Ty laid on his back, looking up through the canopy of Pinwheel Forest. They made camp just before the path to Castelia, the largest city they'll see. He contemplated on what Lenora said. Did she mean that he shouldn't just focus on plowing through? Should he actually take the time to learn from these encounters he has?

…..nah, she's just crazy. Crazy city folk. He turned to his side and closed his eyes.

Tomorrow would just be another day.


	9. The Pain of Becoming Stronger

With a new Pidove and Sewaddle in his team, Ty started the heavy training. The entire gang was put through grinding, most of them evolving. Meg turned into a Herdier, still as sassy as ever though. Scrawn evolved into a Watchog. He was still slightly shorter and thinner than normal, but definitely stronger and tougher now.

Lucy, the Pidove, evolved into a rather beautiful Tranquil. Her plumage was very extravagant, and her pride matched it well.

Then there was Cobbler, the Sewaddle. At first he was pretty cheery as a little worm, but when he evolved into a Swadloon, he became rather…..emo. Very. He just sighed a lot and did everything begrudgingly.

Oh yeah, he was the life of the party.

The next day, Ty and the gang headed to Castelia City. On the bridge, just before the city, they all sat on the top of the steps leading down. They admired the view, the rising sun giving the buildings a resemblance of a halo.

"Man, I never thought I'd get this far." The six Pokemon nodded in agreement, never having dreamt of leaving past their old areas. With no more delay, the seven of them entered Castelia.

What Ty didn't know was that this was where his first lesson in sacrifice began.

Right at the entrance, a rather stressed looking scientist was pulling at his hair. Ty raised a brow, having his suspicion of city folk being weird being proven time and time again. "Hey, dude. You alright?"

"Oh! Perfect! Take this." The scientist shoved a rock into Ty's hands and walked off, rather quickly. He blinked, looking down at the rock in his hands. It had a leaf imprinted on it, so it must be important for a grass type. Looking at Dee, he shrugged. Hell, let's try it. Ty handed the stone to her, watching what would happen.

After a minute, she began to glow. Dee's body morphed and shaped until she was done, fully evolved into a Simisage. The stone had disappeared, as if it was normal. Well, that was cool. At least he knew what it was for now.

They toured the city, sampling the food, art, music, and social life. Chewing on a meat bun, they were walking along before a janitor stopped him in front of a large building. "Hey, kid! You looking for a good battle? Some extra money?"

Ty gave a confused look. "Money? Yeah, sure. What's the catch?"

"No catch! Just visit this here building, fight the few people inside, and you'll get something worth your while. How about it?"

Well, he couldn't really refuse that. He accepted, the janitor grinning like a Cheshire before going inside and up the elevator. Ty slipped inside after him, looking around. A large electronic sign above the elevator said, "Battle Company, where we invest only in a good fight!" Huh, sounds more like one of those challenge areas than a business.

Shrugging, he went inside the elevator. An attendant was waiting, smiling. "I assume you are here for the challenge?" He nodded and she smiled again, pushing a button. The elevator rumbled as it went up, the gang having to wait in their balls. Can't have them all walking around inside buildings. Plus it'd be pretty cramped inside the elevator if they were all in there with him.

"Here's your floor, sir. Have a good time~" Ty exited the elevator, blinking. A group of business people were standing around, chatting and making an overall din. But as soon as they saw him, they stopped. He stared, and they stared back. Then one of the men stepped forward, grinning.

"Let's start this, kiddo."

-A couple hours later-

Ty was clenching his fist, this challenge being a damn pain in the ass. The first four trainers were tough, and there was still more to go.

He sent out Lucy to go against a Timburr. She used Quick Attack, smacking the opponent around a bit. But then things went bad. In the worst luck, the Timburr used Rock Throw.

And it was a critical hit.

Lucy was panting, her feathers a mess. Ty's eyes went wide, running out to the stage. "Lucy! Lucy, you'll be fine. Don't worry. Just….just don't die…"

She smiled weakly, her breathing becoming more shallow. "Heh…at least…..I'm still…..beautiful…..right?…"

Lucy let out her last breath, her body limp. Ty held onto her tight, shaking his head. Then, he stood up, returning her lifeless body to the poke ball. He sent out Dee to finish off the Timburr, but it didn't help with the fact that he lost Lucy. And they've barely been together, they just met yesterday. All her hopes were probably shattered, not having lasted that long.

But that wasn't the end of it. After he finished off the trainers, all that was left was the…..janitor? Now he was confused. The janitor laughed, leaning against his mop. "I see you got all the way to the top! Now you get to face me, the boss of this business!" Ty just blinked. "I see you're confused. You see, I disguise myself and bring upcoming trainers such as yourself to hone your skills. Now, ready for the prize? You gotta defeat me first!"

The 'boss' sent out his Trubbish. He clenched his fist. For Lucy.

He sent out Meg, letting her take care of this. It looked close, but after some Bites and a Tackle she came out on top. The janitor boss sent out a Minccino, which looked…..pretty easy. Ty decided to keep Meg out.

He wished he didn't.

Starting with a Tackle, the Minccino dodged and used Tail Slap. Unfortunately for Meg, there was no next move. Those Tail Slaps finished her, leaving the Herdier laying on the ground panting. Ty fell to his knees next to her. This can't be. Twice in one day?

"Meg, no….not you too…."

She grinned, still panting heavily. "Hey sugar, don't worry. You'll be a…..a great trainer. Don't let this get you down….be strong, Ty…"

He held tightly onto Meg until her last pant, feeling her body weaken in his arms. The janitor frowned, shaking his head. Returning the Minccino, he walked to Ty and kneeled down next to him.

"Listen, kid. I know what you're going through. I've had this situation happen to me before. It's not easy. You'll never get over it. But don't let this get you down. Get stronger. For them, kid."

Ty wiped the tears off his face, standing up with Meg in his arms. He nodded. "Thanks."

The janitor gave him the prize money, telling him to give the two a good send off. An hour later, Ty was in Pinwheel Forest. In a secluded spot, untouched by both people and wild Pokemon, he buried Lucy and Meg. But before he buried them, he took a remembrance from each. A tooth from Meg, which would be later turned into a necklace, and one of Lucy's beautiful feathers, which he wore in his hair.

This wouldn't be the end for them. Despite these losses, they will go on with Ty.

All the way until the end.


	10. Forgive, But Never Forget

"Hey, Scrawn."

The Watchog looked over to Ty, the two of them sitting on the steps facing towards Pinwheel Forest. "What's up?"

"I was thinking. Can I- I mean, can we really do this?" He sighed, looking down at his hands. "We already lost Meg. And Lucy. She wasn't even with us that long. And now…."

"Ty, listen." Scrawn placed a paw on his shoulder, trying to be more of a friend than just a Pokemon. "We don't do this without knowing of what's to come. Everything has its time. Sometimes we go for a reason. For Meg and Lucy, it's to make you stronger."

"How the hell does losing them make me stronger?! Am I just to let you all die?! Huh?!"

Scrawn sighed, looking up. "What I mean is, you should've known that this would happen. It's always inevitable. We dealt with it, but you haven't. You need to remember them, but you can't let it hinder you, Ty. You have to keep going."

Ty wiped his face, nodding. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks Scrawn."

He nodded back and smiled, standing up. "Now come on. You have a badge to win."

-Later, in Castelia Gym-

After going through the extremely sticky walls and knocking down a bunch of bugs, Ty finally made it to Burgh, the leader of the gym. The leader was….busy. An easel was set in front of him, a beret upon his head as he painted.

"….um, excuse me?"

"One second! Do not rush art….voila! It's finished!" Burgh swung the easel around to show Ty the finished product. It was…..a leaf. Just a leaf. "Please, tell me what you think!"

"….it's….very….unique."

"Yes! You understand!" He clapped, smiling. "Ah, I am sorry. Let's start this fight. I want to see art in motion!"

Clyde appeared seemingly out of nowhere, making Ty jump when he spoke. "The Castelia Gym battle shall commence! The aspiring trainer Ty challenges the ever artful leader Burgh!"

Ty touched Meg's tooth, which hung around his neck. The trainer then sent out Reggie, the Roggenrola ready to plow through this fight.

Burgh grinned and sent out his Whirlipede, the curled up insect looking about as tough as Reggie.

Clyde lifted his hands towards each one of them. "Round one of this battle….begin!"

"Let's paint this canvas, Whirlipede! Use Poison Tail!" The bug spun around before leaping up into the air, smashing itself down upon Reggie. It managed to make him stagger a bit, but Reggie kept his ground.

"All right Reggie, show him a Rock Blast!" Reggie jumped up and slammed his feet into the ground, sending rocks to pop out and smack the Whirlipede about. In no time, the bug succumbed to the beating and laid knocked out on the floor.

"Well, that was a fast round one. Ty leads off as the winner! Let's get round two going!"

Burgh returned the Whirlipede and sent out Leavanny. Ty didn't want to chance it, because he knew that it was a grass type as well. Which could spell trouble. "Alright Reggie, good job."

He then sent out Clara, the Audino ready for her battle. Burgh led off with a Struggle Bug attack, which did a very miniscule amount of damage. Clara just brushed it off and distracted the Leavanny with an Attract. Infatuated, she then began to pummel the opponent with Pounds and Double Slaps.

The Leavanny regained enough sense to use a Razor Leaf attack, but Clara just took it as she went in for a finishing Pound attack, sending the bug straight to the ground.

"Round two goes to Ty!"

Burgh laughed. "Oh boy, this is making me antsy! I haven't felt so alive in a long while!"

He sent out a Dwebble, a tougher looking bug. Especially since it had a rock to help its defense.

Ty withdrew Clara and sent out Scrawn, using him for the first time in a while. "All right Scrawn, Crunch!" The Watchog leapt at the hermit crab-esque Pokemon and bit onto it, hard.

"Smack Down!" Raising its claw, Dwebble knocked Scrawn away, making him stumble a bit. Unfortunately for Burgh, Scrawn was very fast.

Advantage of being so scrawny.

Ty abused the Watchog's Bite and Crunch, making his opponent flinch while also lowering its defense. With one final Crunch, Scrawn took down the bug.

"Burgh is out of usable Pokemon. Ty is the winner!"

He smiled, high-fiving Scrawn on his way back. Burgh grinned.

"You did amazing. I hope you never lose that spark, kid. Hold onto that, and you'll go far."

Ty nodded. "Yeah, I know." Grabbing his prize money, he headed back out to the city. Renting an actual room for the night, the group relaxed in their 'luxury.'

Later that night, as the Pokemon were asleep, Ty looked out from the balcony of their room towards the bright lights of Nimbasa. He stood in his boxers, the cool Spring air hitting his skin lightly. The memory of Lucy's and Meg's end still haunted him. Taking a deep breath, he touched Meg's tooth as the feather in his hair fluttered lightly. Then, as if letting all the guilt go, he let out a long breath. The breeze carried it away from him, taking it far away.

Ty has finally found solace, as he knew they forgave him.


	11. A Promise Kept

"Gah, I got sand in my nose! Blech, now it's in my mouth!"

Ty trudged through the sandstorm, covering his face to keep sand from getting in his eyes and other orifices. So far, to no avail. He moved a bit farther to get in a small hole in a large rock, using it as cover from the sand flying around. The trainer spat out the granules. "Blech, I hate the desert. I hate sand. I hate Route 4."

"Tell me about it, bro."

He jumped up from the sudden response. The others were in their poke balls, so that meant….

Ty looked down and saw a Darumaka, huddled in the cave as well. "Man, I hate it here. I can't believe some of the ones here like the sand. Granted, great heat. I like the heat. But it could do without the sand."

The trainer shrugged, settling down next to him. "Yeah, I know." He looked down to him, grinning. "Hey, wanna come with me? I can get you out of this place."

The fire type looked up. "Really bro? You're gonna get me out of here?"

"Yeah man."

He grinned, taking Ty's hand.

-Forty-five minutes later-

After taking a quick stop at the Desert Resort and catching a new Sandile, Ty finally made it out of Route 4 and into Nimbasa city. The place was shiny, literally. Attractions, vendors, rides, flashing lights, so much going on. With as much going on here, you'd expect it to be in Castelia with all the room it had.

Before the gym battle ahead of them, Ty decided to train up the team. Starting with Manny, the Darumaka. So, heading to Route 16, Ty started with grinding against trainers. Facing against a Herdier, Manny was pumped up to be out of the sand. He landed a couple Headbutts, the dog Pokemon pumping up with Work Up. But before he could land a finishing Fire Fang, the Herdier charged Manny and smacked a super powered Take Down.

In one hit, Manny flew and hit a tree, falling to the ground. The recoil knocked the Herdier out, but Manny wasn't so lucky. Ty ran over to him, unbelieving. How could this happen again?

"Manny, come on. Hang on dude."

"Heh….sorry bro. But I…..want to thank…..you…"

"For what? I just killed you…"

"No, man. For keeping your promise…..of getting me out…..of that stupid route…" He patted Ty on the arm, smiling. "This is….what I've always wanted….to see the sun without….all that sand…"

Ty buried Manny along the side of the road, putting a marker up for people to know to leave the grave alone. He tucked a tuft of red fur into his wallet, a new keepsake to carry on his journey.

Continuing with the leveling for the gym, Ty didn't let the loss stop him. He had to keep going. After evolving Reggie into a bulky Boldore and Cobbler into a happier (thank god) Leavanny, he caught a Solosis to add to the slightly opened team.

The team reentered Nimbasa City, going for the gym now. Stepping inside, he saw that it was….a roller coaster track all along the inside of it. Cool.

But for Ty, it wouldn't be all that cool…


	12. Roller Coasters are Evil

-Many twists, turns, and loops later-

Ty stepped out of the last roller coaster car, clutching his stomach and trying to get his footing. Heaving, the trainer went to the edge of the platform and hurled, sending his stomach contents falling down, down, down. He sat up and wiped his mouth.

"Who's idea was it to make a roller coaster in this pla-HRG." Ty starting vomiting again over the edge of the platform. His stomach finally settling after a couple dry heaves later, he attempted to stand up again. At least the room stopped spinning.

He walked over to the gym leader's stage, Elesa laying on a small couch in waiting.

"Ya know, you could put a-" he belched, beating a fist lightly against his chest, "a non-coaster path in this place. Or at least a barf bag."

She grinned, sitting up. "Well, aren't you the quirky one? I see you had fun riding over here. You ready to challenge moi?"

He spat onto the floor, getting the bile taste out of his mouth. "Bring it."

The trainer and the gym leader took their spots on the stage, Clyde ever present at his spot as referee. "This'll be electrifying! The battle between the ever rising trainer, Ty, and the beautiful Nimbasa Gym leader, Elesa, will begin….NOW!"

"Start us off, Emolga!" Elesa sent out the Emolga, the most annoying type-combo in the history of Pokemon. Ty sent out Reggie, the Boldore stomping onto the arena. She started off with a Spark attack, the flying squirrel going into the air. It spun around, charging up electricity all around its body before diving.

As it dived right at Reggie, Ty grinned.

"Smack Down."

Lifting its leg, Reggie swatted the Emolga out of the air and onto the ground, where it bounced twice before landing unconscious on its back. Elesa grimaced and returned it, sending out her second Emolga. This time she used a Double Team, creating afterimage copies that surrounded Reggie. He swatted at a few, missing as he was hit from every angle. Ty bit his lip as it started getting close, then snapped his fingers. "Power Gem!" Reggie planted his leg onto the ground, his body glowing. Then, from the red crystals adorning his body, the Boldore shot out a beam at every image. It smacked the real Emolga right in the chest, another one-hit knock out.

Elesa grinned. "Well, time to bring out the tough one. Go, Zebstrika!"

A large zebra-esque Pokemon was now on the arena, tapping its hoof against the floor. Ty withdrew Boldore and sent out Irving, his Sandile. The croc grinned, a small bone between its teeth. He asked Irving about it, and the Sandile just replied it was an unlucky critter. "Ready, Irving?"

"Ready, mate. Let's send this wankah down undah."

Elesa started with a Flame Charge, but the Sandile managed to dodge it. "Sand Tomb!" Irving whipped up a small dust devil that engulfed the Zebstrika. As the equine tried to deal with the sand, Irving leaped up and slammed his tail onto its head. The dust settled and the Zebstrika shook its head, nostrils flared. It dragged its hoof a couple times along the ground before using another Flame Charge, this time hitting Irving. He slid back a bit, but caught his footing and whipped another Sand Tomb. He then crawled over to the zebra Pokemon and tackled it in the side, knocking it over.

Clyde lifted his hand towards Ty after the Zebstrika proved to not be able to get back up. "Elesa's out of Pokemon, Ty wins!" Ty patted Irving on the head and walked to Clyde, collecting his prize money and badge before taking his leave. Elesa huffed, plopping down onto her couch.

"Just who are you anyway, kid?"

Ty stopped, turning his head to look at her. "Just a lazy ass trainer." With a curt wave, he turned back and left the gym, ready for his next destination.

But unexpecting of the encounter he was about to have.


	13. Q&A Time

-And now, ladies and gentlemen and whoever is actually reading this story, we will take an intermission, seeing as we are four badges into this. I, the person that gives you the 'So many hours later' voice, shall do some Q&A to the characters of this story. Let's begin, shall we?-

Ty's Questionnaire.

Q: So Ty, how are you doing so far?

A: Well, good I guess. I mean, so far this is pretty simple. Wait, who are you?

Q: That's good to hear. So what do you think is going to happen next? And how about that mystery character, eh?

A: Say what? Mystery character? Who?

Q: I see. Now, tell me this. What is the inspiration behind your character?

A: Seriously, who are you?! What mystery character?!

-And that's all we have for that. Let's see what Scrawn has to say, eh?-

Scrawn's Questionnaire.

Q: So Scrawn, how is working with Ty?

A: Oh, he's great. Ty's nice, kind, and he feeds me!

Q: Sounds like he really cares about you.

A: Oh yeah. But…sometimes it feels like he thinks I'm just there. Not really useful, you know? But I know he has faith in me and that I can be a really tough partner.

Q: That's nice. Can you give us any input on any upcoming stuff?

A: No no no, I signed a contract. I can't reveal anything of the script before it's released. Sorry.

Q: Quite understandable, thank you for your time Scrawn.

A: Pleasure is all mine!

-That was much better of an interview. Now, we get a once in a lifetime exclusive. We get to talk to the mystery character coming up! But due to contracts and legal situations, we are unable to release any names or concrete detail. So, for now, we will refer to them as "Mystery."-

Q: So, Mystery. Are you excited for your appearance?

A: Whatever. I mean, I don't even know why I'm getting in this story.

Q: That is a good question. Why you?

A: Well, personally I think it's to *Classified information, censored*

Q: Wow, now that is a good reason. Are they really thinking of doing that?

A: Oh yeah, plus not to mention that Ty *Classified information, censored*

Q: So let me get this straight. Ty is *Classified information, censored* and you have to *Classified information, censored* That pretty much sums up the rest of the story right there!

A: Yeah, but of course no one else can know. Keep it a mystery and all that, ya know?

Q: Of course. Our people will make sure to censor those parts of the conversation. Thank you for your time, Mystery.

A: No prob.

-And that is all the interviewing time we have for now. Keep reading, folks, and see what happens to Ty and the gang!-


	14. A New Traveling Partner

Ty shaded his eyes from the sun as he entered Route 5, Scrawn following right behind him. Of the two, the Watchog had the better attitude. But for some reason, Ty had been fidgety and anxious all day. From waking up, through breakfast, and on the walk to the route for his next challenge in Driftveil. He didn't know why, but he just felt like something was going to happen.

"Scrawn, I have a weird fee-"

Suddenly, he hit something and fell backwards, landing on his back. Groaning, he stared at the sky. Ty sat up, rubbing his back as he looked for what he ran into. Instead of something, though, he saw someone. And immediately, he recognized her on the spot.

"YOU!"

It was that red head from Striaton! She was also sitting up, blushing a little bit. "Oh, hello there! Looks like we meet again in the same exact way." She gave a little laugh and shrugged, standing up. Offering her hand, she helped Ty onto his feet and helped brush him off. "I apologize for this reoccurrence. My name is Harley."

"Ty. And yeah, but at least a rock didn't get poked in my ass this time."

Harley laughed, a bit louder than before. "Well, what brings you this far? Last time I saw you, all you had was a Patrat and a Lillipup. I see your Watchog," she pointed to Scrawn, "so where's your Lillipup? Is it a Herdier now?"

Ty's grin turned to a frown, the trainer looking down to the ground. "Uh….Meg is….gone…"

She covered her mouth. "Oh, my gosh. I'm sorry. How-"

"Castelia City. It's fine, though." He touched Meg's tooth, rubbing his thumb over the necklace trinket lightly. Harley put her hand on his back, and before he knew she pulled him into a hug. Ty blinked, feeling awkward in the embrace. He's never been hugged before, so he didn't know what to do. Should he hug her back? Before he could try, she pulled back and smiled at him. Her cheeks seemed slightly wet. Was…..was she crying?

"Well, I'd like to pay you back. So….I'm gonna join you!"

Ty nearly fell over, taken back by the sudden offer. "B-b-but…"

"Then it's settled!" She clapped her hands, smiling. "Don't worry, I wont be a bother!"

That was the least of his worries…

Rummaging through the grass, Ty found a Trubbish. He had to hold his breath just to fight it. Luckily, Reggie didn't have a nose so it was easier for him to fight. Soon, Phil was a new member to their party. One set back. Way back. All the way in the back.

Harley scrunched her nose as they made their way to the bridge. "Why did you catch that thing? It's just gonna stick up everything."

Ty shrugged, putting his hands behind his head. "It's part of my bet. Catch the first Pokemon you encounter in each place, and only the first."

"Why would you take that bet?"

He just laughed, shaking his head. "Why not?" Harley just puffed her cheeks, giving up on making sense of him.

-An hour later-

While traveling across the rather long bridge, Ty encountered a Ducklett, a total opposite of Lucy. Touching the feather braided into his medium-length hair, he grinned and caught her, naming the ugly duckling Dawn. Forty minutes later they made it to Driftveil, the large shipping port bustling with commerce. Harley's eyes lit up, looking at all of the different things spread out on the stands.

"Ooh, look at this! And that! Oh, that looks great!" She was all over the place, oohing and aahing everything she found interesting. Ty just stood there, letting it get out of her system. How women could do this he would never understand. It was just blowing money on frivolous things. He'd rather save it for food.

"Ty! Ty! Can we get this?" She held up a shiny box.

"Erm….what is that?"

Her jaw dropped, as if she couldn't believe what he was saying. "This is a Prop Case D'lux! It has all the different compartments for props and even comes with thirty-five free props!"

"Why do you need that?" She shrugged, making Ty rub his forehead. "Look, if you just want it because it's pretty or whatever, then the answer is no. I'm not wasting money on that thing."

Harley pouted, but sighed in defeat. She put it back and walked off to the Pokemon Center. Feeling bad, he picked up something called a Milotic scale bracelet. It was pretty and shiny, and a good price too. He hoped that something from someplace called Hoenn would be good enough to cheer her up some.

Because he knows that there is nothing worse than a moody female. After all, he's lived with one for eighteen years.


End file.
